The present invention relates to a method of configuring a device to automatically provide authentication information to retrieve data from a remote server. In particular but not exclusively, the invention relates to a method which configures a device to use a connectionless packet-oriented communications protocol session for a service which requires identification of a physical communications line to which the device is attached.
The Internet Protocol is a connection-less packet-based communications protocol over which a number of telephony services can be provided, for example, VoIP, and also voicemail services. Access to voicemail service information using a conventional telephone device is well known in the art. Voicemail may be stored on the same telephone device or remotely on a server which provides a data storage facility for mail messages for several devices. Voicemail messages are stored on a device if it has functionality to retrieve data from a remote storage facility or if a message is recorded directly on the device. However, a user of a PSTN phone cannot hear a voicemail message which has been left or is being left for the PSTN phone number if they are speaking to another user on the PSTN line as the line is occupied.
In some voicemail services, in order to access voicemail message information, a user needs to log-in and provide authentication information such as a password. This is time-consuming and problematic for the user. A device cannot automatically retrieve information if a user must provide such credentials each time new information is to be retrieved.